po polsku
illustration: DALL-EThat`s not fringe talk. It`s mainstream. Poland ranks 11th globally for greenwashing mentions in major online news sources.
Critics allege that as many as 42% of ESG-related claims are misleading. They accuse firms of selective transparency - flaunting eco-friendly highlights while burying environmental shortcomings. It`s a trust issue. When nearly 90% of surveyed business representatives admit they lack proper ESG knowledge, opponents weaponize this to discredit entire reporting efforts.
As Sebastian Bykowski, IMM’s Vice President warns, disinformation undermines all companies - even those genuinely trying to improve. The chaos is fueled by social media algorithms and generative AI, which amplify controversy and allow fake content to spread at warp speed.
From compliance to confusion - ESG’s growing pains
Despite ESG being enshrined in EU’s Omnibus Directive - binding on firms with over 1,000 employees and €50M+ in revenue or €25M in assets - 45% of companies still don’t know if it applies to them. Meanwhile, media attention is exploding: from 14,600 ESG-related mentions in Q1 2024 to 23,100 in Q1 2025. That’s a 58% leap.
There were 70 ESG-themed events in the last quarter alone, 90% of them free. Yet this informational boom has not translated into widespread understanding. Instead, it created a perfect storm for disinformation to thrive.
The ESG and the ideological skirmish
ESG has become a political football. Both the far left and right now weaponize it for ideological gain. Add to that a media environment dominated by clickbait and vague headlines, and what you get is confusion instead of clarity - skepticism instead of progress.
According to the 19th edition of the "Global Risks Perception Survey", fake news is now considered among the leading threats to global stability. For ESG-driven firms, the consequences are real: lost trust, legal exposure, reputational crises, talent drain, falling brand value - and potentially, existential danger.
IMM’s report "Disinformation about ESG in the media. Facts and myths" was unveiled at the Grand ESG conference by Fundacja Grand Press on May 9, 2025. Download the full report here.
How the media talk (or stay silent) about climate
The report "Climate Change and News Audiences 2024", published earlier this year by Reuters Institute, shows that audience engagement with climate topics has remained almost unchanged for several years.
Climate misinformation remains a significant issue. Interestingly, misinformation sources vary widely, with politicians and celebrities among the most frequently indicated.
| Source of Misinformation | Percentage of Respondents |
|---|---|
| Politicians and political parties | 12% |
| Governments | 11% |
| Celebrities | 10% |
| Climate activists | 10% |
| Scientists | 8% |
| International institutions | 8% |
| Energy companies | 8% |
| Friends and family | 7% |
| Charitable organizations | 6% |
| Religious leaders | 6% |
The problem is not only the emergence of false content but also its dissemination by public figures and influential groups. The high number of mentions of politicians and celebrities as misinformation sources shows that major media players are not always responsible for misleading the public.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Media industry
Who trusts articles written by artificial intelligence? Results of a study from China
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Young readers trust machines more than human writers. When they consume news, they prefer the cool objectivity of algorithms over human emotions. They believe that articles created by AI are objective. As they interact with these texts more frequently, they rarely notice any harmful biases in them.
Who really controls the news on the internet? A study from Spain
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Analysis of more than thirteen thousand articles reveals behind-the-scenes mechanisms of spanish digital media. Left-wing portals are responsible for 50.33 percent of texts on lobbying. The energy lobby generates 63.41 percent of publications. Only one daily newspaper evaluates pressure groups positively.
Children and artificial intelligence. The generation of a global experiment is growing
Joanna Sokołowska, UNICEF Polska
A UNICEF analysis based on new data from 10 countries shows that at least 20 million children have already used artificial intelligence (AI). Many of them are ahead of adults, adopting these technologies at a pace more than three times faster.
See articles on a similar topic:
Automation of Disinformation. Global Risks Report 2025 and Media
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Disinformation and information manipulation have ranked first among global threats in both the two-year and ten-year perspectives. A particularly concerning factor is that social media algorithms often favor controversial or shocking content, further fueling disinformation.
Gen Alpha avoids tough topics. What young people are really looking for
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Generation Alpha prefers humor in 46% of cases, while only 12% are interested in news and political topics. Young people and children consciously limit what negatively affects their emotions - according to the report "Gen Alpha Unfiltered" published by GWI.
How do we assess news credibility? Data analysis from 40 countries
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Are people defenseless against false information? Do they really fall for clickbait and fake news? A meta-analysis of 67 studies involving 200,000 people shows the problem is different than we thought. Instead of excessive gullibility, we are dealing with the opposite.
Influencers and social video rule information. Digital News Report 2025
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Seconds of vertical clips set the future of news. TikTok, YouTube and an army of influencers pull viewers away from TV sets and newspaper pages. Whoever masters this new pulse seizes not only attention but also control of the story.
